Trains
by Zanmat0
Summary: The trains took them.
1. Inanimate Grief

**This story will have a more somber tone compared to the fluff I've been publishing, but I feel I should expand my horizons. There was always an interesting aesthetic to writing about the side to seemingly-unbreakable heroes that they refuse to show. I would have written this story as if it happened during the game's story with Nanako, but FortunesRevolver already nailed that scenario.**

**Thanks to defog2000 for the idea.**

Souji was _walking_ to Inaba.

He didn't board the train. He didn't want to see a train. And yet the trains tormented him.

Why?

The only path to Inaba he recognized was the train tracks, and every so often, a train would come to torment him.

Souji was walking to Inaba.

The thought made his mind numb. It was the trains that ended them. They were gone.

…Why?

Because of the accident. The trains took them, and then proceeded to torment him with the memory.

Souji was walking to Inaba.

The trains that tormented him took them. His parents. The people who showed him the ropes of the world and let him choose his path. The people who cared for him as much as _she _did. How proud they were when he returned from Inaba.

Why?

His personality transformed while he was gone. Perfect Courage, Knowledge, Expression, Understanding, and Diligence. Telling stories about how he was dubbed 'Mr. Perfect', but really didn't feel all that special. He even got a girlfriend, and by his description, she was everything he could have ever wanted.

But…Souji was walking to Inaba.

Alone. They were gone. And so the city held nothing for him but pain and painful memories.

…_Why?_

_Because the trains took them._

**I hope this was representative of the memories repeating themselves in his mind. The repetition was to build emotional tension as I revealed what really happened. Did it work?**

**The continuation will be released soon, along with the next chapter for "Radiant Affection". Opposite stories, but the couple at the center remains the same.**


	2. Mending Wounds

**Story conclusion already, Zanmat0? Yeah. I tuned down the romance part to be subtle to reinforce Souji's depression and how Naoto helps him out of his rut.**

* * *

Dojima grieved, but he was also used to death. His job introduced him to some of the darker parts of society, and he lost his own wife in an accident a long time ago. He buried the grief for his sister and brother-in-law with alcohol, but he would recover. He still interacted with those he held close to his heart. Hell, he even talked to Souji's friends more often, as he deemed them as an outstanding group of kids. But when he and Nanako nursed Souji back to health after he practically collapsed at the house's doorstep, he noted that he was even more distant than in the short period after his arrival the year of the mysterious murder case. His eyes were dull, missing the sparkle they held when they chatted over coffee at the kitchen table. Rather than having his thumb tucked into one pocket and standing confidently, he wore a slouch and had his hands stuffed into both pockets. The times Dojima or Souji's friends got a sentence out of him, he would get a pained look on his face and fall silent. There was nothing left that he could do. So he called someone who he knew would be able to break the walls around Souji's heart. Naoto was over in minutes.

❄Souji was mildly surprised as he was dragged out of the house by what looked like a dark blue blur, and after faintly registering a few minutes of dumbly following whoever had a soft grip on his arm, the two had arrived at her apartment. He was pushed gently onto the sofa that lay in the living room, and he felt the cushions depress as Naoto took a seat right next to him. She tried to get a word out of him.

"…Senpai?"

"…"

"It's me…Naoto."

The name stirred a feeling he thought lost in his heart, but it was gone, crushed by his intense sorrow. Turning his half-dead gaze to her soft stare, he recognized the supposed blue blur. It was her. A spark of life returned to his eyes, but was drowned in the broken gaze he still held. It hurt Naoto to see him like this, but it was him who was in true pain right now. Her smaller hands cupped both sides of his face, and Souji couldn't help but relax in the gentle grip. His eyes, however were certainly a different story. Naoto sensed something…like a dam was hiding what was really in his eyes. Her hands moved from his face to lightly around his shoulders and she pulled him to her. One hand lead his head onto her chest, and the other maintained the gentle grip on his shoulder. Copying the loving gesture he used on her so many times when she was upset or sad, the hand that lead his head moved to his hair, fingers running through while scratching softly. He felt emotion welling up, but forced it down, not wanting to appear pitiful in front of the girl he tried to be the pillar of strength for. She leaned down to kiss his cheek lightly, before whispering in his ear…

"You don't have to be stoic all the time. Least of all in front of me…"

_"Souji-kun, you always put on such a sad face! Can you smile for your mother? Come on, take my hand and let's go."_

She choked up as Souji began to tremble before continuing, "It's alright…to let go."

_"Souji...I know we're not home often, but it's time for another one of Dad's life lessons. Being a man...is complicated. It might be easy to lock out your family and build a tough facade, but life is better with friends. Ones you can care about. And when the time comes, those are the ones you protect. Even when the time comes that your mother and I are too old and we pass on...there's always some reason to carry on. Remember that for me, ok kid?"_

Something snapped in Souji's heart. He felt all the emotion he kept inside flowing out like a raging current: relief that he wasn't alone, sorrow for his loss, and so many more he couldn't count.

_...remember that..._

Tears forced themselves out, and Souji's body shook with his emotional instability. His arms were wrapped around Naoto's waist in a desperate grip, and his face was buried in her lap and he failed to hold his tears back. Naoto, knowing what it was like to lose parents as well, tightened her grip on him as she felt the sorrow her boyfriend was releasing. She felt herself tearing up, and when they fell she couldn't stop them. They held the position until Souji had exhausted himself and fallen asleep in her lap. The day's events had tired Naoto as well, and she fell asleep over his shoulder. She promised herself she would help him as much as she could.

_...the ones you protect...some reason to carry on..._

Souji felt as if a part of his story was lost with his parents, but his heart was being mended by the girl who held him in her slender arms. It would take time, but he would return to his old self eventually. He had his friends, his 'family', and _her._

The trains took them away, but he would have to set foot on them again at some point in his life. It's hard to hate an inanimate object.

_...remember that...ok, kid?_

* * *

**Relatively short, but the feels are present…hopefully.**

**Thanks for reading.**


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